Fantagraphics Blog Sonia Lei

Just arrived and shipping now from our mail-order department: Wandering Son (Hourou Musuko / 放浪息子) Vol. 7by Shimura Takako 220-page black & white (with some color) 7" x 9.5" hardcover • $24.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-750-5 See Previews / Order Now Shimura Takako’s groundbreaking, critically acclaimed, and beloved Wandering Son continues to explore gender identity among its cast of middle school students in our 7th volume. Nitori-kun gets his first signs of acne. This may well be the end of the world. But when he turns to nationally famous model Anna-chan for help, events take an unexpected turn. Meanwhile, Nitori-kun and Chiba-san are…

"[This] material…exploded the idea of autobiographical or journalistic comics… What Woodring did better than anyone was promote the idea that the subconscious, the imaginary, and the dreamtime state were perfectly valid terrains for autobiographical exploration… Plus, it’s great comedy." –Joe McCulloch "I don’t really have adequate language to describe it." –Alan Moore "Woodring is a cartoonist of frightening power…" –ComicsAlliance Jimby Jim Woodring 224-page black & white/color 7.75” x 11” hardcover • $29.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-752-9 Due to arrive in about 2-4 weeks. Click the thumbnails for larger versions; get more info, see more previews and pre-order your copy here: http://www.fantagraphics.com/jim

Train-hoppers, hitchhikers, drunken bar fights, clowns, amnesia, abandoned amusement parks—these are just a few examples of the myriad gritty and poignant imagery to be found between the covers of Tim Lane's new book, The Lonesome Go. This hefty, 296-page behemoth has landed on our desks, leaving us feeling both somewhat nostalgic for and perturbed by these stories, mythologies, and symbols, which shine a glaring light into the seedy underbelly of America. Read our 22-page (12.9 MB) downloadable excerpt here, preferably with a steaming mug of cheap, truckstop diner coffee. The Lonesome Go should be out by October 2014, and we'll…

This deluxe, lovingly-designed slipcase is for The Complete Zap Comix, and we are incredibly excited to be able to show you this first glimpse of what the final product will look like. The comprehensive collection will include every single issue and cover of Zap produced, as well as the unpublished 17th issue and the mini comic jam Zam—a deservedly luxurious homage to the vanguard of underground comics artists of our time. Keep your eyeballs peeled for more updates and previews in the coming weeks. We anticipate this set to be in stores by October. For now, the pre-sale is finally…

Doctors is in the house! That is, advance copies of the newest graphic novel out by Dash Shaw have arrived at our office. The premise: doctors have developed a medical device—dubbed the Charon—that can lift recently-dead patients out of their self-created afterlife and revive them. For those who can afford the expensive procedure, it can be an irresistible attempt to cheat death. This tautly crafted story spans just 96 pages, and it is as much about the interpersonal relationships that develop between doctor and patient during this traumatic procedure as it is about exploring the concepts—and subsequent repercussions—of reviving the…

Collecting 101 noir movie posters of, arguably, the greatest noir films ever made in the genre (including classics The Maltese Falcon, Laura, and Double Indemnity). Reproduced in a stunningly designed, oversized format that shows off the spectacular visual elan of Hollywood movie posters at their best, the book is not only a stunning showcase of film noir art, but also establishes the crucial films and identifies their key characteristics, with critical commentary on each film by editor and scholar Mark Fertig. This is an ideal handbook for noir rookies, a valuable resource for old-hats, and a visual feast for fans…

"For those of you who weren’t lucky enough to meet the mad geniuses who created comics, Drew Friedman’s art gives you the best chance you’re going to have to see them through their smiles, the eyes that dreamed up fantastic worlds, and to get a hint of the lives they led." –Paul Levitz "When Drew Friedman does something, you know it is much better than merely excellent. Here he salutes the pioneers, masterminds, and geniuses of a graphic form that delighted, excited, and scared the hell out of us. And we were enthralled by every panel." –Arnold Roth "I am…

Equal parts curated trash-culture imagery and multimedia collage—interspersed with exposition on the relationship between art and trash—the 220-page, full-color SuperTrash is an assault on the senses. This new title by Jacques Boyreau, a sequel to his 2002 work, Trash: The Graphic Genius of Xploitation Movie Posters, delves into the gonzo archives of 20th century design to seek out and dissect the co-dependencies of art and trash. Available for pre-order now, and expected to arrive in a few months' time. Look for additional previews in the coming weeks!

We're pleased to unveil the final cover art for a new collection of related short stories from Richard Sala. In a Glass Grotesquely features the antics, plots, and twists of the mysteriously masked, diabolical villain only known as Super-Enigmatix and his loyal army of female commandos. The stories are drawn in Sala's signature cheerfully vivid watercolors and filled with his equally cheerful dark tongue-in-cheek humor. What chaos will the dastardly Super-Enigmatix unleash upon the world? More previews forthcoming! In a Glass Grotesquely is available for pre-order in the meantime.

Shimura Takako's groundbreaking, critically acclaimed, and beloved series continues to explore gender identity among its cast of middle school students. "It's a very sweet manga with realistic characters—no dead parents or crazy teachers, just ordinary, loving families and supportive friends. This manga is…worth every penny." – Brigid Alverson, MTV.com Wandering Son (Hourou Musuko / 放浪息子) Vol. 7 by Shimura Takako 220-page black & white (with some color) 7" x 9.5" hardcover • $24.99 ISBN: 978-1-60699-750-5 Due to arrive in about 1 week. Click the thumbnails for larger versions; get more info, see more previews and pre-order your copy here: http://www.fantagraphics.com/wanderingson7